One explanation is the fact that mental health services are generally allocated based on the presence of a psychiatric diagnosis, and older children are more likely to meet criteria for specific disorders. Although younger children may exhibit certain symptoms, they are less likely to meet the full criteria for a classified disorder (Fisher 2005). Moreover, the behavior of older foster children may appear to pose more of an immediate threat, either to themselves or to others (Fisher 2005). Even in the general population, risks for violence, juvenile delinquency and other behavioral problems, increase with age, thus in high-risk populations (as defined by factors such as poverty and violence), the risk gradient associated with age increases, therefore the need for services may be the greatest in the short-term among older foster children (Fisher 2005).
In a study published in the January 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Edward L. Spitznagel reported that 61% of the surveyed youths qualified as having at least one psychiatric disorder during their lifetime. Of this 61%, some 62% reported onset of their earliest disorder before entering the foster care system, and 37% of the youths met criteria for a psychiatric disorder during the previous year (Spitznagel 2005). The study revealed that the number of types of maltreatment experienced was the most "robust predictor" of psychiatric disorder among several maltreatment variables, while no differences were found in prevalence rates for youths in kinship care and those in non-kin foster families (Spitznagel 2005). Spitznagel concluded that older youths in the foster care system have "disproportionately high rates of lifetime and past year psychiatric disorders (Spitznagel 2005).
There are approximately 100,000 older youths in the U.S. foster care system, yet little is known about the extent of psychiatric disorders despite the fact that they use mental health services at exceptionally high rates (Spitznagel 2005). Many leave the system without having achieved a permanent home, and remain at high risk of residential, economic, and employment instability and incarceration during their early adult years (Spitznagel 2005). While it is unknown to what...
Non-Traditional Parenting The main point of the article, "Moms at Work and Dads at Home: Children's Evaluations of Parental Roles," is that when children are given a chance to express their opinions on traditional vs. non-traditional roles, they speak up. In this case, the children used in the survey (67 second-graders and 54 fifth-graders) saw it as "acceptable for both mothers and fathers to work full-time" (Sinno, et al., 2009). However,
Foster Care Community Assessment: Foster Care Youth Needs What is a community assessment? A community assessment is a process by which a collaborative partnership gathers information on the current strengths, concerns, needs, and conditions of children, families, and the community. The information comes from many sources -- especially parents and family members -- and is elicited by many techniques, including interviews, focus groups, and scanning demographic data collected by local agencies. Because
Foster care is a harsh reality for many children in our society. After reading Chapter 15, answer the following questions: How is the effectiveness of Foster Care often inhibited? At Coachella Valley California, three factors prohibit the effectiveness of foster care: communities, children, and families. Communities: the families of children placed in foster care live in an environment characterized by structural deficiencies and poverty, or basic needs believed to characterize stable communities. Often,
First, briefly define the Resiliency Model. Then, using this video as your case study: What concepts from the Resiliency Model can you identify that were illustrated in their stories? Describe and explain. Considerations include: Did you hear any recurring themes mentioned by more than one of these young adults? What did they describe as being most valuable to them during their foster care experiences? Consider some of their recommendations:
Child Demographics CHILD WELFARE IN REVIEW Financial Status of Children in Welfare - a review conducted in 9 trials on 2,000 participants to determine if financial support to poor families would improve children's health and welfare did not yield sufficient evidence on the financial benefits of intervention (Lucas, 2008). A study on the effectiveness of recent reforms on the chronic problems of the child welfare system in the United States (Westat 2002)
Gradually, there are lesser desired adoptive kids as society have come to accept single mother who parent their children compared to earlier. The disgrace of giving birth to a child outside marriage has lowered and hence, the bulk of single moms prefer to have their kids with them in place of "relinquishing them" for being adopted. Besides, thanks to advanced technology, "birth control" pills are instantly accessible to the
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